Malc and Kev spend another season visiting the Non-League grounds of Notts and Derbys

Saturday, 2 August 2008

Gedling Town v Eastwood Town

Saturday 2nd August -- Pre-season friendly

With Kev working, I had decided to stop in and watch the Emirates Cup matches on telly - but at 2:15pm, decided I was in need of a bit of fresh-air...so where did I opt for? The Riverside to watch Gedling Town host Eastwood Town ---- and anyone who knows this particular area of Nottingham will tell you there is not a lot of fresh-air there... in fact it stank! The air was decidedly rank, the wind blowing the pong from the maggot farm directly towards us........boy - it was bad -- made my eyes water and gave me a headache!!!

Anyway, met my brother and sister-in-law there and had a bit of a chin-wag.... also met former Mansfield Town photographer Dan Westwell - Dan is now freelance after Mansfield Town decided to dispense with his services. He was working for the Evening Post and I helped him with the Eastwood line-up - Deakin, Asher, Shaw, Cooke, Sturdy, Swinscoe, Duik, Dunning, Holmes, Smith, Gardner. Subs used - Bailey, Rhead, Meikle, Brookes, Foster, Mathews, Breach.....

I have no idea if Dan remembered me at all, but he has taken my picture a few times at Mansfield games, both home and away........... !!

As for the game, it was a massacre -- Eastwood went 1-0 up through Smith's far post header on 37 seconds! Then Holmes made it 2-0 on 17. Gedling took advantage of some slack defending to pull one back soon after, but Gardner netted for the Badgers to make it 3-1, then Smith netted his second to see the Badgers go in at the break 4-1 up.

No respite for the Gedling keeper in the second half - Holmes added his second, Smith completed his hat-trick on 67. Rhead scored four minutes later and Lindon three minutes after that. Brookes scored straight from a corner to make it 9-1. Foster scored with a great shot across the keeper to make it 10-1 and Mathews rounded it all off with a near post header.

Never seen an 11-1 scoreline before.

I know Eastwood are looking good, but to put this into some perspective, Gedling have a completely new team from the one they had last season - and they are struggling to put an 11 together, even enlisting Eastwood's Rob Paling to make up their team....

Can't say I enjoyed the game - should be a bit of a stiffer test for the Badgers on Monday when they take on League 2 Macclesfield Town.